* On-farm activities and sales * Events and “agri-tainment” * Self-guided tours and trails * Local foods, many locally sourced * Guided tour packages, classes, experiences
Get Dirty Farm Tours
Queen Charlotte Trek, New Zealand: Multi-day hike with awesome local foods and surprising culinary experiences
Catalysts for increasing economic value
• Local farm tours to connect farms with each other and chefs/restaurants • Self-guided tours and trails • Packaged itineraries and experiences • Technical assistance to farmers and food entrepreneurs • Distinctive, meaningful branding • Producer initiatives supported by community
Visitor experience includes attractions + • Signage and wayfinding • Interpretation • Marketing and communications • Business services • Routes and itineraries • Public facilities and infrastructure What’s already “on the table” here?
Visitor Projects and Assets Products Experiences Strategies
• List key assets • Are they visitor ready? • What are the associated visitor experiences? (existing and potential) • Considering market trends, visitor profile, economic value and your vision for the county, what are the priority opportunities to focus on? • What gaps must be addressed?
Panel: Navigating land use rules and regulations
• Austin McGuigan, Polk County Community Development Director • Angela Lazarean, Oregon Dept. of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) • Kathryn Daniel, DLCD
Asset Visitor Experience Potential
1.) Hops Tying hops, heritage, and farmer’s markets together. Over the course of a month. “Polk County is Hopping”. Hop and Heritage Festival Jumping off point for recreation. Need to tie in restaurant experiences at end of recreation. Rogue Hop Farm Pick Hops. Camp at Hop yards
2.) Artisan Communities Wine + artisan house communities. Tie restaurants into artist communities
3.) Cultural Tourism/ Linking Heritage to Agritourism. Pulling together, cultural diversity and leverage unique experiences. Pow Cultural Diversity/ Featuring Wows, Fiestas, Etc. Pastoral methods of farming
4.) Events Spend entire day experiencing farm to fork experiences. Tour farm or ingredient source then have Farm to Fork Events experience eating/drinking said ingredients locally. Develop biking, walking, and car touring options. 4th of July Event(s)
5.) Educational Experiences Informal class room environments for learning about agritourism. Events. Festivals. Chemeketa Viticulture Programs Non class room based experiences Western Oregon University
6.) Local Wineries/ Brunches. Creating a jump off spot for other local tourism. Cluster of Wineries in N. Polk, could develop Vineyards walking tours. Beehive tours. Develop connections between the wineries. Unique food opportunities at each Mid Valley Wine Trail winery Heart of the Willamette Valley Wineries 7.) Willamette River Campground on Willamette is a biker camping spot. This could be a terminus, or evening spot for a voyage on the Willamette River. Float river, stop at agritourism hotspots. Cook Fish on side of river.
8.) Perry Hill & Lavender Grow and develop their own lavender varietals. Create culinary items associated with lavender. Lake Walk, Talk and Plan for Action
• Decide which strategy/project idea most interests you. • Gather with 2-3 other people Take a walk together and brainstorm specific actions to take; walking rather than sitting stimulates creative thinking! • Have one group member record your actions, using the Action Plan worksheets in your participant materials. • Come back! • Have one group member report back to the whole group. Wrap Up and Next Steps Key Strategic Action Areas • Developing and implementing a comprehensive regional communications strategy • Developing and implementing an accommodations plan • Developing new tourism product on the ground (destination development via trails, agritourism, high impact events and bike tourism) • Developing a 5 year strategic plan Assignment 1: Report Out Step 1: Pick a tourism niche (theme e.g. agritourism, wine, culinary, nature based tourism, kayaking, cycling, hiking, etc.).
Step 2: Highlight 5 key tourism assets (spots) that you would feature in your story or itinerary directly on this map. Label assets 1-5. Think from the visitor’s perspective: if a were a _____tourist what would I want to do…)
Step 3: Write a brief description of your story or itinerary on the backside of this sheet of paper. Be sure to detail your 5 points.
Additional Considerations: Think about what makes Polk County unique. Why would a tourist do this itinerary in Polk County vs: Yamhill County? If you are stuck utilize the asset sheets that are on the table.
Gaps in your itinerary? When thinking about these areas, are there any areas where you can see additional tourist infrastructure needed? (i.e. a restaurant in an ideal location, a microbrewery on a bustling street, kiosks and signage at trailheads). These could be potential projects action teams could work on in the future. Assignment 2: Homework for Next Time Step 1: Pick a tourism market (international traveler, generation Y/explorer, baby boomer couple, avid cyclist, casual wine tourist, farm to table aficionado, etc.)
Step 2: Think from the visitor’s perspective: if I were a _____ type tourist, what specific amenities and visitor services would I want on my ______experience in Polk County…)
Step 3: Go test it out! Collect any promotional materials that you may find on your way. Photo document your experience, and be prepared to share your findings with the group.
Step 4: Write a brief description of your experience on the backside of this sheet of paper. Be sure to detail the five points of your story/itinerary and how the visitor services at those locations excelled or lacked.
Additional Considerations: Think about what makes Polk County unique. Why would a tourist do this itinerary in Polk County vs. Yamhill County?
• Wednesday, Nov. 5 | Evening Networking Event: Capitalizing on our cultural heritage 6:00-8:00pm | Eola Hills Wine Cellars
• Tuesday, Dec. 2 | Bicycle Tourism Development Workshop 9:00am-4:00pm
• Tuesday, Dec. 2 | Evening Networking Event: Birding Tourism 6:00-8:00pm | Emerson Vineyards
• Tuesday, Jan. 13 | Rural Tourism Marketing – Part 1 9:00am-4:00pm
• Wednesday, Jan. 14 | Rural Tourism Marketing – Part 2 9:00am-12:00pm |
• Tuesday, Jan. 27 | Teaming for Success: Finalizing Vision & Building a Plan of Action 9:00am-4:00pm
• Tuesday, Jan. 27 | Community Kickoff Reception 5:00pm-7:00pm